Troy native Joe Mahoney called up to Orioles

There was a moment on Thursday evening when Joe Mahoney wasn't on a plane or in a car or playing baseball when he had a chance to stop and think about the last 24 hours of his life.

The Troy native had been in Norfolk, Virginia less than a day before, playing baseball for the Norfolk Tides when he was taken out in the top of the eighth inning and told to pack up his stuff.

Mahoney was being called up to the big leagues, literally, and last evening the 25-year old first baseman suited up as a Baltimore Oriole, making him the first Troy ball player to play in the MLB since the early 1970s.

"It's been a quick turnaround," Mahoney said. "I'm a little tired from traveling but it's kind of tough to be worried about that when you get to play in the major leagues later on."

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With only a few hours to get across the country for the Orioles game against the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night, Mahoney made a few quick calls to his family, who hopped three different flights to LAX.

In what could only be described as providence, the family converged on the airport nearly simultaneously, meeting for the moment they had all been waiting years for Joe Mahoney was an officially a major league baseball player.

"I got the call that he'd been called up around 9 p.m. or so and started looking for flights," brother Dan Mahoney said. "It's been exciting and crazy but it's been a good day or so to say the least."

Mahoney, a Catholic High grad, was drafted by the Orioles in the sixth round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Richmond.

He was named Baltimore's minor league Organization All-Star in 2010.

"He's been working so hard for the last five years," Mahoney said of his brother. "I'm just happy for him. When I found out, I told him I loved him and congratulations."

After a quad injury early last season, Mahoney was more determined than ever to see his major league dreams realized and for those that know him, they've seen every ounce of effort he's put in.

"He's had some injuries but he still goes back and produces," said his brother. "We've seen him continually work harder every off season. We just kept hoping that he'd get the call and he finally did."

In his season with the Tides this year, Mahoney batted .256 with five homeruns and 38 RBIs.

With an impressive resume to his name already, the first base standout got his start locally, playing for both Catholic High and the South Troy Dodgers Connie Mack Elite team.

A member of the 2004 Connie Mack World Series-appearing Dodgers squad, the then 16-year old Mahoney was already making an impact on the diamond.

"He was everything that we thought he would be," Dodgers' coach George Rogers said.

"Where he stands out from the rest of the kids is his work ethic and his dedication to being the very best player he can be is incredible."

Throughout his two-year career with South Troy, Mahoney was a standout, finishing with a .411 average at the plate, in addition to 87 RBIs and 17 homeruns.

"He'd be in some of our tournaments or some of the events up and down the east coast and you just knew he was something," coach Todd Bradley said.

Mahoney joins a small group of South Troy alumni, including Casper Wells and Tim Stauffer, who are currently playing in the major leagues.

Three hours before game time on Thursday, Mahoney was waiting to be fitted for his first-ever major league jersey, giving him the perfect chance to take in everything that happened in the last day.

"You know with everything, the nostalgia is everywhere because it's been such a long road for me," he said. "I've worked so hard to get to this point, so it means a lot."

Whether the new chapter he's beginning now leads to the Hall of Fame or simply every TV in Troy tuned in to the series against the Angels, Mahoney's success has already impacted those that have seen him on the field from day one.

"I know everybody back home is cheering for me and they're really happy for me," Mahoney said. "It means so much to me."